Washington, DC, Photo Tour of Union Square also see night washington | bike washington: mall | capital crescent | mount vernon trail All images by Mark File. Please do not copy without permission. Union Station is the grand ceremonial train station designed to be the entrance to Washington, D.C., when it opened in 1908. After falling into decline, it was restored in the late 1980s. Today, it's home to 100+ shops and restaurants, in addition to being a train station. It is one of the busiest and best-known places in Washington, visited by 32 million people each year.